Southern California Hiroshima Kenjinkai 100 Year Anniversary

The Southern California Hiroshima Kenjinkai celebrated their 100th anniversary on October 10, at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello. Approximately 700 guests including Southern California Hiroshima Kenjinkai members and community leaders attended the event. During his greeting, President Tsukasa Mukai reflected on the past 100 years of the kenjinkai and promised to for the coming 100 years. Hidehiko Yuzaki, the newly instated governor of Hiroshima, flew in from Japan for the event. Governor Yuzaki awarded kenjinkai members for contributing to the community. The Southern California Hiroshima Kenjinkai, which was established in 1910, was the first to build its own kenjinkai building in downtown Los Angles. Five years ago, they created HIROKEN, a subdivision for young Japanese Americans.

Little Tokyo’s Changing

World of Takase, an exhibition about Japanese architect Hayahiko Takase, was held in Little Tokyo early October. This exhibition displayed the buildings Takase built in Little Tokyo. The eighty-year-old Takase, says he came to the U.S. in 1962 for a project that would change Little Tokyo’s history. At the time, the Japanese American community was rebuilding Little Tokyo after returning from internment camps. Takase’s job was to design a building to represent the new Little Tokyo. Takase planned to design a building that would stand out during a time where three-story buildings were the tallest in Little Tokyo. He accomplished this when he built that sixteen-story Kajima Building. Because the project had a low budget, Takase built each floor narrower in order to make the building tall. Other buildings included the Kyoto Grand Hotel and Gardens, formerly the New Otani Hotel. Takase’s buildings included a Japanese essence, such as creating a Japanese garden on the rooftop of the New Otani Hotel. He designed eight buildings in Little Tokyo and is currently working on a different project. Dubbed the Budokan of Los Angeles, Takase’s new project is a three-story high gymnasium. The budokan will be used for basketball, kendo, judo and other Japanese martial arts. Takase hopes that it will be used by not only the Japanse American community, but all the children in the community.